The following discussion of the prior art is intended to place the invention in an appropriate technical context and enable the associated advantages to be fully understood. However, any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should not be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
Gaming machines for playing casino-type games are typically known to be of two main configurations. One common configuration is an upright gaming machine configuration, which is generally tall and narrow and configured to sit upon a pedestal or console. Multiple displays are located in an upper portion of the machine and a user interface including the button panel and coin and/or card inserting modules, are located in a lower portion. The front portion of an upright gaming machine normally includes a vertically hinged door, which usually opens to the left. Due to it having a generally vertically extending display, a player typically stands or sits on a tall stool, when using an upright gaming machine.
Another gaming machine configuration is the slant top gaming machine. A slant top machine is generally free standing, having a lower supporting portion and an upper display portion. The upper portion includes a sloping or slanted section where a slanted primary display is housed. The primary display is generally positioned at a shorter distance above the ground, relative to an upright machine, permitting a player to sit on a chair and slide their legs underneath the primary display in a similar way to sitting at a gaming table. A user interface having the button panel and coin/card modules are located in the lower portion.
A slant top gaming machine has a number of advantages, but also a number of drawbacks. As mentioned earlier, the primary advantage to the slant top is that it accommodates a seated player in much the same fashion as a conventional gaming table, which is convenient and comfortable for the player making slant top machine ideal for extended play. The slant top also has an outwardly extending armrest section which allows the user to rest their arms and other items.
The main drawback to the slant top gaming machine is that they are normally very heavy and have a large footprint making them difficult to relocate on a gaming floor. This means that a relatively lesser number of these machines can be placed on the same gaming or casino floor space compared to an upright gaming machine. Moreover, because of their generally stout appearance they also have to be placed at the front of a gaming floor or in more open spaces, so they can be seen.
In a similar vein, due to their generally wide footprint, another problem with slant top gaming machines is that they cannot be placed on a common base directly next to upright gaming machines because of their non modular design and interference when the vertically hinged door of an upright machine is opened. More specifically, when the vertically hinged door of an upright machine is opened, it traverses laterally outwardly to foul on the side of the slant top machine. Consequently, more clearance space is required between slant top and upright gaming machines, which results in a commercially undesirable reduced game machine density on the gaming floor.
Therefore, whilst slant top gaming machines are commercially attractive because they are comfortable and used for longer periods, their limited placement on a gaming floor results in inefficient and commercially unattractive gaming machine densities.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
It is an object of a preferred form of the present invention to provide a slant top gaming machine that can be placed on a gaming floor with minimal limitations.